At Bramall Lane in the wake of Carling Cup victory in midweek, Arsène Wenger spoke of foreign players needing "six months" to adapt to English football. He was considering Eduardo da Silva but against Manchester United tomorrow lunchtime one of his charges who needed considerably longer to adjust will attempt to maintain a new-found standing. Alexander Hleb has infuriated at times as an Arsenal player. This season he has finally come of age.

The deft pass from the Belarus midfielder which slipped Cesc Fábregas beyond a retreating Liverpool backline at Anfield last Sunday was a measure of his quality. The weight was exquisite, the angle ideal for the Spaniard's first-time prod to expose José Reina and earn the visitors the point they merited.

Hleb had been in danger of drifting into obscurity, a £10m misfit who had appeared lost in his first season in England and inconsistent in his second. The 26-year-old's toils are not unfamiliar among Wenger's league of nations. He suffered an injury soon after his arrival from Stuttgart in 2005 and came from a Bundesliga club where he had been the fulcrum.

As Stuttgart's playmaker, he had dictated their style and approach, though 13 goals in 137 games there suggested work to be done on other areas of his game. At Arsenal he found himself eclipsed by the presence of Thierry Henry or the goals of Robert Pires and José Antonio Reyes.

Desperate to make an impression, Hleb perhaps tried too hard. Passes which did not come off were greeted with jeers. At times last season frustrated fans sought a scapegoat for Arsenal's over-elaboration and Hleb, labouring on the fringes, was an obvious target. "But for every positive quality, there is a negative sometimes," said Wenger. "Alex can play through the eye of a needle but he can also miss a pass because he tries to take the difficult option. It can be a bit annoying but look how effective he can be. I like him as a player. Ask any supporter of Arsenal, you would not find one who does not think that, deep down, he is a good player."

Increasingly they are recognising as much. Other clubs' players need time to adapt - Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic stand out at Old Trafford - but Hleb is the latest Wenger recruit to undergo the "Robert Pires effect". The Frenchman arrived at Highbury in 2000 after a miserable spell at Marseille and initially laboured to make an impact as English football passed him by. Like Hleb, he was thrust into an Arsenal side well off the pace in the title race. By late March of his first campaign he had started twice as many league games as Hleb managed in his first term but was still treading water.

"I didn't have that mental and physical aggression," reflected Pires. "When I arrived Arsène wanted me to work on my upper-body strength because he realised I was too frail for the Premiership. I was given a personal programme and eventually it made me stronger on my feet so I could hold off tackles. I struggled with the physical aspects of the game in England for that first six months but eventually it toughened me up."

Pires's revival saw him dazzle in his second season but he benefited from the presence of numerous other France internationals in the club's ranks. Hleb has not had that safety net. He has admitted to being blown away by "the sheer speed" of the game in England in his first few months, a touch player struggling to find time to compose his thoughts. Yet this term he is revelling in the frenzy.

Where previously he was employed wide, now Hleb appears most comfortable as a central support to a striker. On Sunday Emmanuel Eboué featured on the right, with Hleb behind Emmanuel Adebayor. Yet even when Hleb starts on the flank, he is permitted to flit between wings or drift into the middle. He has benefited from Fábregas's sudden emergence as a goal- scorer - the Spaniard boasts 10 goals already this term, easing the pressure on Hleb - and his understanding with his young team-mates is flourishing.

"It helps that they are such good friends off the pitch as well as on it," said William Gallas. "When you're friends off the pitch you get to understand each other well and that can help you play together. It's the same with [Tomas] Rosicky and Robin van Persie as well. Those combinations allow us to play as a very good team."

Just very good? Arsenal have been breathtaking this term and welcome United, also propelled by a blistering momentum, from the top of the league.